In Canberra there are no beaches or iconic opera houses, there’s one artificial lake and if you stand atop a Canberra hilltop (say, the one next to Parliament House), you can contemplate a capital with stark charm, the vast Australian bush, a decent sunset, and then check the train times down to Melbourne. At least, that’s what Canberra was until I went there recently.

Recently a burgeoning sophistication has inspired an invigoration of what the capital can be. Hotel Hotel brought the rest of Australia’s attention to the change, as well as a refurbishment of the NewActon Precinct which now alone is reason enough to make a weekend trip to Canberra. A. Baker sits within this renewal and goes some way to lifting the local standard. It rises like a phoenix from the ashes of the Flint restaurant, which was gutted by a fire in 2011. Its new fixtures gleam against the flinty walls, scarred and beautiful.

At breakfast there’s lots of tilts on the egg, including a fried local duck egg with local mushrooms, smoked ricotta, speck and cornbread. The broken rice porridge with chia and cinnamon is nutty and textured, a good choice for those windy Canberra days. Pressed meat is not something you see a lot even in Sydney and Melbourne, but it’s here. Dense and tender pressed pork and duck comes with leaves from the A.Baker garden out the side of the building. There is an extensive cured meat, cheese and oyster menu, and larger plates move to charred lamb neck with bean and radish salad, harissa and whipped ricotta.

Upon opening, years back, the service was aloof and difficult, but like the city that houses the restaurant there’s been a delightful renewal where wait staff can describe the dishes, food arrives promptly and correctly and, importantly, it’s delicious.

The marked improvement of service, the new fluidity to the menu and the brilliant novelty that we can now book a table, proves that the biggest changes in Canberra this year have not just been on the capital’s hill.

Tel: 02 6287 6150

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